Fred Schneider

For other people named Fred Schneider, see Fred Schneider (disambiguation).
Fred Schneider

Schneider playing a cowbell at Lovebox, London, in 2007.
Background information
Birth name Frederick William Schneider III
Born (1951-07-01) July 1, 1951
Origin Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • arranger
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • percussion
Years active 1976–present
Labels Warner Bros.
Associated acts
Website theb52s.com
thesuperions.com

Frederick William "Fred" Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band the B-52's, of which he is a founding member.[1] Schneider is well known for his sprechgesang, which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars.[2]

Early life

Frederick William Schneider III was born on July 1, 1951, in Newark, New Jersey. He has stated that his musical influences included "Halloween songs and nutty Christmas songs" along with "Motown".[2] He attended the University of Georgia, where he once wrote a book of poetry for a class project.[3] After college, he held down jobs as a janitor as well as a Meals on Wheels driver.[2] At the time the B-52's formed, he had very little music experience.[4]

B-52's

The B-52's got their start in 1976 when founders Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, and Schneider played an impromptu number after drinking at a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia.[4] The band played their first real gig in 1977 at a Valentine's Day party for their friends.[5]

The band's first single was "Rock Lobster" which was recorded for DB Records in 1978. It was an underground success,[6] and sold over 2,000 copies in total.[5] In 1979, the B-52's signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records for South America, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. They also signed with Island Records for the UK, Asia, and Europe. After the death of Ricky Wilson in 1985, the band went on hiatus.[4] They reformed in 1989, and went on to mainstream success.

Other music ventures

Aside from duties as the frontman of the B-52's, Fred Schneider has released two solo albums. He also worked on a side project called the Superions. The group released a self-titled EP and the album Destination... Christmas! in 2010, and in February 2011 began working on a proper full-length album.[2]

Collaborations

Besides working with the B-52's, Schneider has collaborated with a number of artists. Selected examples include:

Filmography

Films in which Fred Schneider has appeared include:

Radio

Until late 2008 Schneider hosted a show called Party Out of Bounds that aired Friday nights, 9pm to 12am (ET) on Sirius 33 First Wave. On the show, Schneider played a mix of new wave-era dance, remixes and rarities, interspersed with Schneider's own humorous bits, and anecdotes.

Personal life

As of July 2012 Schneider was living on Long Island, New York.[7]

Schneider discussed his experience of coming out as gay to his mother with Howard Stern on the latter's radio broadcast on February 22, 2010. He said that his mother always knew more about her son than he knew about himself, and he said he came out of the closet while she was vacuum-cleaning. His mother replied with "Oh I know, Freddie" and continued vacuuming without missing a beat. Schneider said his reaction was: "It's like, well, OK. I guess I'll go back outside and smoke some pot."[8]

Schneider is a lifelong vegetarian, and he appeared in a PETA ad campaign discouraging people from eating lobsters.[9]

Bibliography

References

  1. Prato, Greg. "Biography: Fred Schneider". AMG. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Interview: Fred Schneider of the B-52's. Survivingthegoldenage.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-28.
  3. "Fred Schneider Biography". Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Ankeny, Jason. "Allmusic Guide Biography for The B-52s". Allmusic.
  5. 1 2 [http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/TheB52s/;kw=%5bnews,artists,9620,42757,42792] "The B-52's"]. Rolling Stone.
  6. Unterberger, Richie (1999). Music USA: The Rough Guide. p. 133–140. ISBN 1-85828-421-X.
  7. blogs.ajc.com, Fred Schneider talks B-52s 35th anniversary Access Atlanta. (July 19, 2012). Retrieved on 2012-11-28.
  8. Brand, Sam (February 22, 2010). "B-52s' Fred Schneider: Gay, Proud, and on the Comeback Trail". Popeater.com. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  9. "B-52's Fred Schneider Says Don't Eat The Lobster," Associated Press, March 17, 2014.

External links

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